Two Amazing Shots By Philly Squad Beat Boo's Team

April 13, 2009|By Lynn Burke, lburke@dailypress.com 247-4961

HAMPTON — There may be a more improbable - and disheartening - way to lose a basketball game, but until someone discovers that way, the Boo Williams Summer League's 17-under team will have to suffer through what happened Sunday morning.

Williams' team lost to Team Final, an AAU team based in the Philadelphia area, 64-61 in the semifinals of the Nike Invitational Tournament at the Sportsplex.

With time almost gone in regulation, BWSL led 61-58, yet lost by three. And the game didn't go into overtime.

Two improbable shots from near half-court did in Boo's team.

"It's crazy," said Williams. "Twenty-seven years. I've never seen anything like that."

Here's what happened.

Andre Dawkins made two free throws with 13.8 seconds remaining to give BWSL that three-point lead.

In AAU ball, teams don't shoot one-and-one free throws until the 10th foul of a half. At that point, Boo's team had committed four fouls, which meant they could use five fouls to disrupt Team Final's offense, cutting time off the clock and forcing their opponents to repeatedly throw the ball inbounds.

It worked perfectly the first two times, leaving 7.8 seconds left.

On the third inbounds pass, Tyreek Duren emerged with the ball at halfcourt right in front of the scorer's table. Here comes foul No. 3, right?

"There was contact, but no whistle," Williams said.

As a defender tried to force the foul, Duren did what most players do when a foul like that is imminent, he slung the ball toward the basket in an effort to draw free throws.

To almost everyone's surprise, his 45-foot prayer banked in as time ran out on the scoreboard. Then to the dismay of Williams' team - and the joy of Team Final - officials ruled there was no foul before the shot and the 3-pointer counted.

"He grabbed my whole waist," Duren said. "I just threw it up."

"That shot was unbelievable," said Williams.

Officials then put 1.3 seconds back on the clock.

But on the inbounds pass, Luke Cothran of Boo's team fumbled the ball. Mike Gilchrist picked it up about 40 feet from the basket.

"No time to think," Gilchrist said. "It just came to me and I let it go."

Swish.

And for the first time in five years, Boo Williams' team didn't win the tournament named for him.

So what did he say to the team?

"Nothing," he said. "What can you say? They're stunned, not because they lost, but because of how they lost. They fought back, but there isn't much you can say after that. But they'll get over it before I will."

BWSL trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half. They were down nine early in the second half, then took their first lead midway through the half on Andre Dawkins' 3-point basket.

Dawkins led BWSL with 23 points.

NOTES - All-Ohio Red won the 17-under division by beating Team Flash 75-72 in the final game. Jared Sullinger, who has committed to play for Ohio State, was named most valuable player, joining such past MVPs as Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant, Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd. Dawkins was the only BWSL player named to the team. ... Both of Williams' younger teams lost in the semifinals. The 16-under team lost to the St. Louis Eagles 71-59 and the 15-under team lost to the Houston Defenders 47-42.